The fishing center

Our review on Raymarine Dragonfly-4

The good

With the Dragonfly-4 you have the advantage of the traditional and Downvision sonar so you can target fish and clearly see any underwater obstacles and structures that might get in the way.

It is Wi-Fi enabled so you can connect to your smart phone and share your fishing adventures through the provided app to social media websites.

The unit comes with maps of US rivers, lakes and coastlines, which will allow you to navigate safely and get to your favorite fishing spots.

You never have to worry about being able to see the display since it is bonded to provide you with sharp images without distorting fog.

The bad

There have been mentions that the transducer will not work if the boat is going over 20 mph, regardless of where it is mounted. While this can be inconvenient, it should also be noted that most anglers are not traveling at a high rate of speed when they are looking for a good place to fish since the wake and noise from the motor does tend to scare any potential targets off.

The verdict

It’s not hard to see why the Dragonfly-4 from Raymarine is often considered the best portable fish finder with GPS. It comes with dual CHIRP sonar that includes traditional and Downvision. The conventional sonar will detect any fish in the water, along with underwater objects and the Downvision will transmit the images in picture like clarity. Not only does this ensure you can accurately identify targets it also makes it easier to understand what you are seeing, which is always an advantage if you are new to using a fish finder. Being able to clearly see objects underwater also allows you to avoid areas that might tangle your line, while also indicating places that fish might like to hide.

With the built in GPS system you have instant access to maps of US rivers, lakes and the coastline so you have a good idea of where you are going. It will also indicate current “hot” spots, along with areas that you might want to avoid. The Dragonfly-4 is also Wi-Fi enabled so you can access the sonar from your smart phone, and send and share pictures with other anglers on social media sites. Get tips while you are out on the water and show off photos of your latest catch. It also comes with a SD memory card reader so you can even save the latest sonar images to review later.

You will appreciate the bright, crisp color on the 4.3 inch display that is also backlit for easy viewing. The LED screen will clearly display the images from both types of sonar so you always know exactly what you are looking at. See the contours of the bottom, along with depth and water temperature. It will also display any targets in the area. The clearly marked buttons make it easy to control, and you can even rewind sonar images to view and share the data at the end of the trip.